In the darkness
by kirayasha aka kira
Summary: Bankotsu finds his lover in the dark...


In the darkness…

By kira

_For Nasty-chan…_

_Author's note: The following is unbetaed so any mistakes therein are my own..._

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Bankotsu found Jakotsu sitting outside on the low veranda. The soft glow of a lantern illuminated the spider he was watching in its web. He was still covered in grime from the hard won battle they had fought and the young leader of the Shichinintai was worried about him. What was worse, the cross-dresser seemed unaware of his presence, despite the noise the nightingale floor made as he approached.

"Sweetness…?"

"Aniki-chan?" Jakotsu sat there, refusing to look at him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…" the eighteen year old replied. "You?"

"I'm fine…" Bankotsu sat down next to him.

"You sure? I… I nearly lost you today…"

"I know, and I'm really glad you were watching my back."

Jakotsu looked over at the younger boy and smiled, his eyes glittering in the lantern's flickering light. "I had to make him suffer, Aniki-chan."

"Okay…"

"I mean I would have cut him up anyways. He was cute and all and not much older than us," Jakotsu looked away, his tone growing darker, "but he shouldn't have done that, Aniki-chan! He should never have tried to kill you!!"

Bankotsu was at a loss for words. They had been engaged in battle for the castle they were staying in until the daimyo who had hired them arrived to claim it. Besides, their lives were on the line every time they fought. Still, he had not expected that level of savagery from his paramour over his close brush with death. Everyone knew Jakotsu like to rape any of the prisoners who caught his eye, claiming it calmed his blood lust after a battle. This time was different as he had found the poor bastard who had tried to kill Bankotsu. Instead of simply raping him and slitting his throat, he gave him several shallow cuts over his body, enough to wound, but not quite kill. Taking a broken katana, Jakotsu sodomized him with it, before pissing on his wounds, and leaving him to die. Bankotsu could still taste the bile in his throat over it.

"Is Sui still washing his hands?" the cross-dresser asked, pulling the younger boy from his disturbing thoughts. Jakotsu picked up the jug of sake he had with him and drank, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Uh, yeah… whatever you told him worked."

The eighteen year looked at his young lover and smiled. "All I did was lick the 'blood' off them."

"Only you…" the fifteen year said, shaking his head as he tried to dispel his dark thoughts.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?"

"No, not mad… just…" Bankotsu trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.

"I wanted them to know they can't do that!" Jakotsu said. His eyes were wide, and shining with an intensity that bordered on madness.

"Okay, okay…" Bankotsu said, hoping to diffuse the older boy's anger.

"I would never hurt you that way, Aniki-chan…" The cross-dresser reached out to cup the younger boy's cheek.

Bankotsu nodded, relieved to see the madness gone from his paramour's eyes. "I know…" he said softly.

Jakotsu kissed him. "I was so sacred I was going to lose you… And I would have killed as many as I could and then I would have lie down beside you and died too…"

"Yeah…?" Bankotsu let his paramour gather him into his arms and hold him close.

"Uh-hunh…" the eighteen year old murmured into the top of his young lover's head as he watched a moth struggling to get free of the web before the spider got to it. "I want to wrap you up and keep you safe like that spider did to that moth."

The fifteen year old laughed. "That spider wrapped that bug up so he can eat it, Sweetness."

"Oh…" he laughed ruefully. "I'm stupid, hunh? Although, you are rather tasty," Jakotsu said. He licked his lips and made a little noise of contentment.

"Nah…just cute." Bankotsu blushed. "You know, I would have killed anyone who killed you too and then died at your side."

"Awe…" Jakotsu kissed his lover's forehead.

"Yeah… I wonder if we'll die together someday…"

"I hope so…"

"Me too…"

"So you wanna nookie?"

Bankotsu laughed. "Is that all you ever think about?"

"Hmmm… yeah…" Jakotsu giggled. "But I like being with you and the feel of you inside me and afterwards when we lie together and cuddle, I don't feel scared."

"You get scared too?"

"Yeah… All the time. You too?"

"Uh-hunh… I get scared I'll lose you too, Sweetness. But I also get scared that the others will decide they don't want to follow a boy with no real idea of what he's doing."

"You know they won't do that," Jakotsu reassured him. "They'd be stupid if they did."

"Kurokotsu did…"

"And I cut him up for that."

"That you did… in several small pieces too."

Jakotsu giggled. "Yeah… that was fun, Aniki-chan! He bled out very nicely too."

"Okay…"

"Well, he did… but enough of him. I want you… and I want to eat you all up, my tasty lil dumpling." Jakotsu tilted Bankotsu's face up to look at him, before kissing him long and hard. Breaking the kiss, the cross-dresser nuzzled his lover's cheek.

Tasting like sake, as well as blowing alcohol laden breath against his cheek, Bankotsu wondered how much the older boy had been drinking. He seemed sober, despite the earlier hints of madness and yet, the smudged make-up and filth seemed so unlike the normally fastidious cross-dresser. "Sweetness… are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah…"

"But you're filthy, and you're drinking alone… and…" Bankotsu trailed off when he realized his paramour was not listening to him.

"Look at the fireflies, Aniki-chan! Let's catch one and make a wish!!" Pulling away from his lover, Jakotsu moved to slid off the veranda. As he did so, Bankotsu reached out, grabbing his wrist.

"Stay put! Now what the hell's the matter with you?! And don't tell me 'nothing' either!"

Jakotsu nodded. "I like the way their asses glow," the cross-dresser said impishly as he avoided answering his lover.

"Me too. In fact, I think their lil asses glow just beautifully," the fifteen year old said sarcastically. "But that doesn't answer my question."

The cross-dresser giggled maniacally.

"Jakotsu!"

The eighteen year old nibbled daintily on a dirty fingernail. "I shouldn't have done it…" he said softly.

Bankotsu heaved a heavy sigh, correctly guessing what was troubling his paramour. "No, but it's too late to change that. Just own up to it and move on. Besides, who was it that said life's too short to have regrets?"

Jakotsu laughed sheepishly. "I really am an idiot, no?"

"Nah, like I said before you're cute." The younger boy grinned. "Although, it is hard to tell with you all covered in shit and you smell like it too."

The cross-dresser's laughter was happier this time as he lifted a shoulder and sniffed. "I do smell a bit nasty…"

"Hell yeah! Let's go take bath."

"Good idea." Jakotsu smiled impishly at his young lover. "Maybe we can nookie later?"

"Only if you're good…"

"I'm always good, so let's go!"

Stepping into the garden on their way to the bathhouse, Jakotsu skipped ahead. The garden was full of fireflies and he quickly caught one in his hands. Turning around, he hurried back to Bankotsu. Hands glowing with the faint light of the firefly, he giggled as he showed it off.

Bankotsu chuckled in reply.

Bring his hands up to his mouth; Jakotsu whispered something too soft for the younger boy to hear. He slowly opened his hands and blew gently on the little bug, sending it flying. They watched it go. It headed towards the palace they were staying in.

"What'd you wish for?" Bankotsu asked.

"That we could always be together..."

The young leader of the Shichinintai nodded.

"Damn it!!" Jakotsu swore.

"What?"

"It got caught in the spider web. Hurry; maybe we can free it!"

"Leave it, Sweetness… We don't need it to wish on to be together. We already are."

"But…" The cross-dresser frowned.

"But nothing! Come on!" Bankotsu started to walk away. "Let's go before I decide you're too stinky to sleep with!"

"Hey!" The cross-dresser took off after him.

As the two boys headed towards the bathhouse, another firefly got tangled in the spider's web next to the first one. Moving swiftly, the spider grabbed them both, wrapping her silk tightly around them…


End file.
